Proposed Ordinance Seeks To Grant Permits For Tricycles In La Trinidad, Benguet

Don't be surprised if you see a tricycle roaring through the streets of La Trinidad, Benguet sometime in the very near future. A proposed ordinance authored by four municipal councilors seeks to grant permits for tricycle operators in the town.

The ordinance is authored by councilor Roderick Awingan. His three co-authors are councilors Joey Jovencio Marrero, Henry Kipas, and Estrella Adeban. The title of the ordinance is, "Granting permit to operate/franchise and regulating the operation of motorized tricycles for hire in the municipality of La Trinidad and providing penalty for violation thereof."

A public hearing for the proposed ordinance is scheduled for July 21, 2015 at the Lednicky Hall of the Municipal Hall along Kilometer 5. Everyone is invited to the public hearing which will be from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

There are already tricycles operating in some areas of La Trinidad especially in barangay Beckel. In fact, tricycle drivers and operators in said barangay have their own association - the Barangay Beckel Tricycle Operator Drivers Association Inc. or BBTODAI. Back in 2013, the La Trinidad municipal council passed a resolution granting 15 franchises to the association.

Image credit: Tropical Vacation Spots

Initial public response to the proposed ordinance by Awingan was mostly negative. When a copy of the notice of public hearing for the proposed ordinance made its rounds on Facebook, majority of the people commenting and sharing are against it.

Common reasons by citizens for opposing the proposed ordinance include the following:
1) Vehicular traffic will worsen.
2) Taxi and jeepney drivers in the town will experience a decrease in their daily earnings.
3) Tricycles will turn into eye sores which might hurt the town's tourism industry.

Whether you support the proposed ordinance or not, you are encouraged to attend the public hearing tomorrow (July 21) at the Lednicky Hall within the Municipal Hall from 1:30 pm to 3 pm.